YOUNG FARMERS were urged to take back the “green agenda” from Dublin 4 politics by Macra na Feirme president, Michael Gowing, at the annual conference of the young farmers organisation in Co Wicklow at the weekend.
Mr Gowing was speaking at a seminar, part of the weekend activities examining the impact of the Government’s “Food Harvest 2020” report which has set targets for increased output on farms in the next decade.
Many of the young farmers attending the session complained the environmental regulations, especially those on the use of fertilisers, stood directly in the way of farmers increasing output on their farms.
“We are the people who have green politics. We always had because we are the people who look after the environment and we have to take the green agenda away from Dublin 4 politics,” Mr Gowing said.
“We are the people who care about the land. We are its guardians and it’s time we took control of this area rather than allow those who know little about it setting the agenda,” he said.
The conference and national rally in the Arklow Bay Hotel was attended by more than 1,500 young rural people from all over the country who were joined by delegates from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Mr Gowing, who was on the committee which drew up the Food Harvest 2020 report, said its targets could only be achieved if the Government changed its policies in relation to access to land for young farmers.
“Young people cannot get their hands on land because there is no early retirement scheme and no installation aid scheme for young people as in the past and unless there are policy changes here, the increases will not happen,” he said.
Minister for State at the Department of Agriculture Sean Connick, who officially opened the event, said the report showed Ireland can grow its exports of food and beverages by one-third to €12 billion annually. “We can increase the value of primary production by our farmers and fishermen by €1.5 billion and value added in processing by €3 billion,” he said.
“While the targets in the plan are ambitious, I am confident that with the support of Government and all stakeholders, they can be achieved and that our agri-food sector, which is still our most important indigenous industry, will help drive the recovery in our economy,” he said.
Some of the young farmer delegates to the conference were not so sure of this and many of them said while it was down to them to deliver the increases, many difficulties stood in their way.
Darragh Kavanagh, a dairy farmer from Arklow, said the 50 per cent increase in milk output predicted in the plan could only be achieved if farmers received a proper price for their milk because they could not work for nothing.
Mr Kavanagh said the economics of expansion depended totally on profit and the availability of labour.
“It takes major capital to expand and if you expand your dairy herd you will need extra labour. It takes at least 50 extra dairy cows to pay for the labour costs of a full-time worker on the farm,” he said.
However, another young farmer Patrick Finegan from near Navan, Co Meath, said he was gearing up for the expansion by working on a dairy farm near Dunshaughlin so he would be prepared for what might come.
While he would have access to family land, a great deal of investment would be needed as his family had moved out of milking eight years ago and €10,000 would be needed to upgrade facilities and at least €50,000 for stock.